WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Thousands of people have taken to their computers and phones in rage after The Journal News posted an online database of local gun-permit holders.

The database, legally obtained from the County Clerks' Offices through a Freedom of Information Act request made after the shootings in Sandy Hook, Conn., that left 20 children and eight adults dead, has been called irresponsible, dangerous and leaning toward intimidation by online pundits.

Social media played a big part in the exponential spread of the story, whose map has been recommended more than 20,000 times. Two Facebo

Numerous additional comments relating to the gun-permit map have appeared on posts in other unrelated articles. More than a dozen more people sent private messages via Facebook objecting to the map. The overwhelming majority of comments strongly object to the article.ok posts linking to the article on Sunday garnered 346 comments as of Tuesday evening. That's in addition to 167 comments posted directly to Facebook.com/LoHud since the article was published.

The database also was mentioned in the Drudge Report, Memorandum.com, Breitbart.com, Thegatewaypundit.com, Instapundit, iOwnTheWorld.com and UrbanGrounds, along with Yahoo, ABC News and Fox News, among others.

More than 500 comments -- on both sides of the debate -- accompanied an article on CNN.com Tuesday.

The Journal News is owned by Gannett Co. Inc., which is also the parent company of USA TODAY.

Hundreds of callers have complained, claiming publication of the database put their safety at risk or violated their privacy. Others claimed publication was illegal. Many of the callers were vitriolic and some threatened members of the newspaper staff.

"New York residents have the right to own guns with a permit and they also have a right to access public information," said Janet Hasson, president and publisher of The Journal News Media Group.

Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government and an expert in the state's Freedom of Information law, has said all government records and data are presumed public unless a specific statute bars their release. Names and addresses are specifically deemed public records, he said.

This is not the first time The Journal News has been criticized for publishing information about gun permits. A similar article in 2006 received similar responses, although social media did not play as large a part in the spread of the article or of the complaints.

"We knew publication of the database would be controversial, but we felt sharing as much information as we could about gun ownership in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings," said CynDee Royle, editor and vice president/news.

"People are concerned about who owns guns and how many of them there are in their neighborhoods," she said. "Our Freedom of Information request also sought specifics on how many and what types of weapons people owned. That portion of the request was denied."

Scott F. Williams, 41, of Haddon Heights, N.J., who served in the Marines as a rifleman, was one of the very few callers who agreed to identify themselves and comment on why they called.

"This is what I see," he said. "It's all in the context of the shootings in Newtown ... it gets us all talking about gun control. That people are at a heightened concern makes sense to me. I am a gun owner and a pro-Second-Amendment (person). I try to be rational." He called the newspaper's decision to link to the database "highly Orwellian."

"The implications are mind-boggling," he said. "It's as if gun owners are sex offenders (and) to own a handgun risks exposure as if one is a sex offender. It's, in my mind, crazy."

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Welcome to the Peoples Republik of New York, kids. Frankly, I don't know what's worse - the fact that this ****ing liberal rag actually did this, or the fact that some dumbass government official felt it was appropriate to release the information. Outing law abiding citizens guilty of nothing but exercising their constitutional rights - what a disgusting, despicable, dangerous abuse of power and betrayal of the public trust. Sane people don't advertise to their neighbors that they own guns - they don't flash them in the window, they don't have GUNS HERE INQUIRE WITHIN signs in their yards. Just like conceal carry, anonymity is important here. Now any punk who clicks on this site will know where they can go steal a gun. It essentially rings the dinner bell for them - just find a remote house on this list, and if nobody's home, break in and start looking. I guess if these gun owners didn't have alarm systems before, they'd better get one now. And so much for leaving your pistol in the nightstand - now you'll need an expensive safe. Thank God most thieving scumbags who'd steal guns don't read the news (or anything else), but surely somebody's going to take advantage of this, and when it happens, I sure as hell hope these ****ing vermin are held accountable for their irresponsible actions.

If my name and address was on this list..... well, my reaction sure as **** wouldn't be a sternly-worded e-mail.

But of course, these vile twats will hide behind the First Amendment. Gotta love people shitting on Constitution and then hiding behind it when the outrage hits.

And that idiot Direckshun had the balls to complain about the money the NRA raises, when the opposition has the ability to pull crap like this.

Not complicated. How does the paper getting threats and then hiring security make it a hypocrite?

It makes it deserving of anything it gets~

__________________“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion"
Steven Weinberg~

Not complicated. How does the paper getting threats and then hiring security make it a hypocrite?

Also it portraying guns as not needed and pushing the bullshit gun ban agenda and then rushing to hire guns for protection makes them hypocritical. Why should I as a law abiding citizen need to have my personal information put out when I chose to protect myself? These shitbags feel a little heat and hire guns. That is hypocritical and a move that only ****ing two faced cowards too chickenshit to protect themselves would do~

__________________“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion"
Steven Weinberg~

You're too stupid to answer, so you neg rep me--what a ****ing pussy. Sorry I caught you being a moron. If people would tell you more often what a dumbass you sound like maybe you wouldn't be so butthurt when someone calls you out on it.

Guess what, monkey boy - you and the rest of your chimp buddies thinking I'm a moron doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I prefer it that way. Funny thing is, I think you're even dumber than Direckshun, who has already admitted that he's a dumbass.

Also it portraying guns as not needed and pushing the bullshit gun ban agenda and then rushing to hire guns for protection makes them hypocritical. Why should I as a law abiding citizen need to have my personal information put out when I chose to protect myself? These shitbags feel a little heat and hire guns. That is hypocritical and a move that only ****ing two faced cowards too chickenshit to protect themselves would do~

JFC--where does it portray guns as "not needed?" You guys are hallucinating.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by petegz28

Did planes hit the 2 WTC towers? Yes. Ah but were they the airliners we were told they were? Evidence and physics seems to say NO!

JFC--where does it portray guns as "not needed?" You guys are hallucinating.

You are shameless~

__________________“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion"
Steven Weinberg~

Guess what, monkey boy - you and the rest of your chimp buddies thinking I'm a moron doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I prefer it that way. Funny thing is, I think you're even dumber than Direckshun, who has already admitted that he's a dumbass.

But I'm glad you're wearing your stupidity as a badge of honor.

Moron does not you justice. You, and some others on here, appear to simply be unstable whackjobs. No wonder you are so paranoid about this--the unstable kooks are the ones most suspect in this gun issue.

Carry on with your circle jerk--

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by petegz28

Did planes hit the 2 WTC towers? Yes. Ah but were they the airliners we were told they were? Evidence and physics seems to say NO!

Moron does not you justice. You, and some others on here, appear to simply be unstable whackjobs. No wonder you are so paranoid about this--the unstable kooks are the ones most suspect in this gun issue.

Carry on with your circle jerk--

Funny how people get a little upset when tow the line left wing assholes start babbling about taking law abiding people's rights away~

__________________“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion"
Steven Weinberg~

Michigan passed a law Friday that will allow the carrying of concealed weapons in previously off-limits areas including schools, churches, day cares and sports stadiums.

The bill cleared the Senate on Thursday, and was approved by the Republican-controlled House Friday, the same day that 27 people, including 20 children, were killed by gunfire at a Connecticut school.

“If you have pistol free zones they are actually mass murderer empowerment zones,” said Steve Dulan, attorney for the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, who represents sportsman clubs throughout Michigan backing the bill.

“If you actually look at the history, even over the past 10 years in the US, you find that maybe all but one mass shooting has occurred in a so-called gun free zone,” he added.

The current law in Michigan prohibited concealed weapons in schools, churches, day cares, hospitals, dorms, casinos and any public entertainment venue that had a capacity of over 2,500 people, according to Petoskey News. Violating the law earned a civil infraction and a $500 fine, as well as a six-month suspension of a concealed pistol license.

The new law allows schools and private establishments to voluntarily stay pistol-free if they choose to, Petoskey News reported, but opponents say it goes too far, Click on Detroit reported.

The bill is now headed to the state’s governor Rick Snyder to be signed, but he told local Channel 4 that is taking a week to review the law’s language, especially in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting.

Funny how people get a little upset when tow the line left wing assholes start babbling about taking law abiding people's rights away~

If you care to look back, all I did was call BS on the cries of "they're hypocrites!" simply because they beefed up security after receiving threats. That's all it took for you, and especially spazod, to get all nutso.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by petegz28

Did planes hit the 2 WTC towers? Yes. Ah but were they the airliners we were told they were? Evidence and physics seems to say NO!

Moron does not you justice. You, and some others on here, appear to simply be unstable whackjobs. No wonder you are so paranoid about this--the unstable kooks are the ones most suspect in this gun issue.

If you care to look back, all I did was call BS on the cries of "they're hypocrites!" simply because they beefed up security after receiving threats. That's all it took for you, and especially spazod, to get all nutso.

I'm pointing out that you were wrong. The article is clearly playing up the dangers of proliferation, and the paper that published that article quickly added guns to their premises when they felt threatened. Hypocrisy.

__________________

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind I'd still be in prison."